Marillion's eighth album is a true gem; an album that reflected the emotional frustrations of the band at the time of its recording. Though the band took a while to get into a creative state of mind after the commercial failure of Brave, its members managed to emerge from the ashes and truly shine on this one. Starting out with the eccentric but amazing "Gazpacho," Marillion definitely sets the mood for what's to come during the album's course. The song flows nicely through different time signatures and layers, finishing with a soothing guitar solo ending, while the second track, "Cannibal Surf Babe," clashes with the rest of the album's sound, having a completely different vibe than the other songs. Needless to say, it is the strangest track from the album, being particularly quick and featuring a very happy edge to its style. After the introductory phase is through, however, one is subjected to "Beautiful," a song that submerges the listener into a warm and peaceful place by means of its melody and arrangements, which help the lyrics convey their perfectly crafted message: "life is beautiful and we should learn to appreciate it." Without a doubt, an amazing song. The next track, "Afraid of Sunrise", as far as I understand, is the introduction to the following two tracks, "Out Of This World" and "Afraid Of Sunlight." A sort of overture indicative of the upcoming soundscapes, it relaxes the listener and is truly a preparation for the album's undeniable climax, "Out Of This World."

If it is sometimes useless to describe music through words, the aforementioned song more than fits the description, due to its being absolutely indescribable. It just gets to one. Singer Steven Hogarth's melodies and Steve Rothery's guitar playing are breathtaking, ravaging, stunning…indescribable, indeed. The music creates such an intense atmosphere, and every passage flows so perfectly along with the lyrics and melody, that it forms one of Marillion's best songs ever. Then comes "Afraid Of Sunlight", the much-expected finale of an astounding three-song saga that ends on an undeniably catchy chorus, sharply standing out amongst its surrounding notes, yet maintaining the listener in a relaxed mood.

Immediately afterwards comes "Beyond You", another great song (I'm getting tired of writing this…). It carries so much emotion within that one can nearly feel the lyrics as if they were living, breathing creatures of diminutive proportions. During its middle section, the song spirals upwards in an intensely riveting crescendo, in order to finish off with an incredible solo from Rothery. Finally, the album's last song, "King," brings the proceedings to a wonderful end. Any comments on it? Another great one (what did you expect by now?). Centering on the subject of fame and the struggle for a delusively "perfect" dream, the lyrics provide an apt sketch of what the track's music should be, developing through a considerably heavy edge and reaffirming one little fact: this is one hell of an album.

-by Javier Elizondo

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